Maharashtra Police Headquarters

Coordinates: 18°55′31″N 72°50′00″E / 18.92528°N 72.83333°E / 18.92528; 72.83333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with
Mumbai Police Headquarters
.

Maharashtra Police Headquarters building
Royal Alfred Sailors' Home
Venetian Gothic
Maharashtra Police Headquarters is located in Mumbai
Maharashtra Police Headquarters
Location of Maharashtra Police Headquarters building in Mumbai
Maharashtra Police Headquarters is located in India
Maharashtra Police Headquarters

Maharashtra Police Headquarters building (formerly Royal Alfred Sailors' Home) is a

Fort, and face the Wellington Fountain.[4]

Royal Alfred Sailors' Home, the previous occupant of the building, was named after Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who visited Bombay in 1870. It was a recuperation centre for sick European sailors, and provided accommodation for 20 officers and about 100 seamen. After 1928, it served as the Legislative Assembly and then the Bombay Council Hall until 1982, when the Maharashtra Police moved into the building.

History

The historic structure called Royal Alfred Sailors' Home was built at the height of

maritime trade in Bombay, which had become a busy port during the British Raj.[5] It was designed by Frederick William Stevens, an engineer with the Indian Public Works Department, and named after the "sailor prince" Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert who had visited Bombay in 1870.[1] It could accommodate 20 officers and 100 sea men.[6] The Maharaja of Baroda Khanderao II Gaekwad contributed ₹2,00,000 towards the construction of the building.[7]

The building was Stevens's first important commission in the city and he was supervised by

James Augustus Fuller.[8] His efforts were described as "an early attempt to infuse Gothic architecture with Muslim nuances".[1] It was acquired by the Government of India in 1928 from the Committee of Royal Alfred Sailors' Home.[9] It then served as the Legislative Assembly and the Bombay Council Hall, until the new council hall was built in 1982.[10] Following the departure, Maharashtra Police moved into the building and currently occupies the site.[10]

Facade Police Head Quarters Mumbai.

Architecture

The building was constructed using blue

cornices.[1] He supervised the students of the college who also worked on the sculptures.[10]

The sculptures were done in Bath stone by the English sculptor Richard Lockwood Boulton of Cheltenham. The pediment has sculptures of the Roman god of water and the sea, Neptune, nymphs, sea horses, and waves that recall the building's proximity to the Arabian Sea.[1] Discussing the charitable institution of the Sailors' Home in an essay in the book Bombay Before Mumbai: Essays in Honour of Jim Masselos, historian Preeti Chopra writes, "Even in the context of port architecture, Bombay's Sailors' Home looked as a "rather luxurious hotel" with large airy rooms and bathrooms."[7]

Gallery

  • The building was the first important commission for Frederick William Stevens, who later designed the Victoria Terminus.
    The building was the first important commission for
    Victoria Terminus
    .
  • The pediment sculptures depicting Neptune and nymphs were done by Richard Lockwood Boulton.
    The pediment sculptures depicting Neptune and nymphs were done by Richard Lockwood Boulton.
  • The building at dusk
    The building at dusk
  • The polychromatic exterior inspired by the Venetian Gothic style
    The polychromatic exterior inspired by the
    Venetian Gothic
    style
  • The headquarters at Wellington Circle, with Wellington Fountain in the foreground
    The headquarters at Wellington Circle, with Wellington Fountain in the foreground

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "(Former) Royal Alfred Sailors' Home, Bombay, by Frederick William Stevens (1847-1900)". www.victorianweb.org.
  2. ^ "Mumbai Police's over 100-yr-old office set for a facelift". The Economic Times. 1 November 2017.
  3. ^ "Mumbai Police to soon get its own museum". Deccan Herald. 11 May 2018.
  4. ISBN 9788174369031
    – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Wright, Colin. "Sailors' Home [Bombay]". www.bl.uk.
  6. ^ "A gaze at FW Stevens' Gothic landmark in Colaba". mid-day. 12 November 2016.
  7. ^
    ISBN 9789353056650
    – via Google Books.
  8. ISBN 9780199674985
    – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Bombay Civic Journal, Volume 11 p.16: "...they had received from the Royal Alfred Sailors' Home out of the sale proceeds of the later's premises to the Government."
  10. ^ a b c "Maharashtra police headquarters set for Rs 17 crore facelift". India Today. 8 August 2019. {{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)

External links

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